A lesson on terrorism: British Parliament terror attack the canary-in-the-coal-mine for U.S.?

Could the terrorist attack on British Parliament be a cultural canary-in-the-coal-mine for us? Will the London attacker who repeatedly plunged a knife into a policeman guarding Westminster be celebrated by some Brits as a modern-day Guy Fawkes?

Who was Guy Fawkes? A British-born citizen nabbed while guarding gunpowder beneath the House of Lords, the intent being to assassinate King James I and restore a Catholic monarchy to the throne. Had his Gunpowder Plot of 1605 — still commemorated in Britain every Nov. 5 as Guy Fawkes Day — been successful, we would have been deprived of the 1607 colonization of Jamestown and the 1611 King James Version of the Bible.

While the four-centuries-old Guy Fawkes plot is observed in a light-hearted manner, virtually every terrorist attack today is celebrated somewhere, often in proportion to the number killed. Make no mistake, 9-11 was celebrated in pockets of anti-Americanism around the world and the hijackers hailed as martyred heroes. Because terrorists often spring from minority communities, our own American admiration of the victimized underdog can become twisted into a sick form of political correctness that all but turns a blind eye to reality — such as the Fort Hood massacre of 2009.

Why did fellow soldiers not report Major Nidal Hasan when he lectured on the efficacy and merits of suicide bombing? When he was known to style himself as a Soldier of Allah? When he bought guns and ammunition as part of his own Gunpowder Plot? Evidently fear of a politically-correct backlash of Islamic phobia kept everyone silenced until Major Hasan triumphantly shouted “Allahu Ahkbar” and opened fire at Fort Hood, killing thirteen unarmed soldiers.

And even then, our government could not bring itself to label Major Hasan as a terrorist, his shooting spree being but a case of “workplace violence.” You know, going postal. Aggravated with his boss. When we can’t see the nose on our face because we won’t look in the mirror, the PC epidemic has run amok.

It’s more than obvious that large immigrant communities that are not assimilated into a country’s cultural traditions can become a breeding ground for terrorists, often native-born second- and third-generation young males who feel justified in taking violent revenge for their community’s isolation, unemployment, and poverty. Yes, I can understand that, but compassionate “understanding” can metastasize into excusing violent excesses — see recent riots and rough treatment of guest speakers at Berkeley and Middlebury College as well as the attacks in London, Paris, and Brussels.